4 things you didn’t know about Jack Daniel’s

The whisky, and the man

Jack Daniel’s American whisky is celebrating its 150th birthday this year. If the sheer number of logo t-shirts are anything to go by, the Tennessee Whisky’s cultural impact has been as pertinent as its culinary one. A tipple favoured by some of the coolest gentlemen of the 20th century, its history is the stuff of American folk lore. In those 150 years, Jack Daniel the man and his Old No. 7 whisky have courted many a wild tale. A polyamorous lifestyle, a numerological mystery and a whole lot of setting stuff on fire, here are some of the weird and wonderful things you didn’t know about Jack Daniel’s.

Here’s everything you need to know about Jack Daniel’s

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Every bottle of Jack Daniel’s is made in the very same place

Jack Daniel’s sells over 10 million cases of whisky every year all across the world – so you’d have thought they’d diversified their efforts geographically. Surprisingly not so, as to this day, every drop of Jack Daniel’s is still made in the very same town, in the same distillery Jack Daniel set up back in 1866. Lynchburg, Tennessee is the site of a limestone iron-free spring, which Daniel purchased for just $2,148. Lynchburg wasn’t big and it hasn’t got much bigger – back when Jack Daniel was starting out, Lynchburg had a population of just 361 and today, it still only has one traffic light. The most surprising thing about Lynchburg? It’s been in a dry county since prohibition, meaning not a drop of alcohol can be bought or sold within its boundaries. The rules are bent on the Jack Daniel’s Distillery premises, of course. That would just be mean.

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How did Jack Daniel’s Old No.7 get its numerical namesake?

No one actually knows. One of the most recognisable features of the iconic Jack Daniel’s black label, is the “Old No.7” that marks its signature whiskey. But what’s the significance of lucky number seven? The truth is, nobody really knows. Jack took that decision to the grave. There are, however, a plethora of conspiracy theories to ponder. Standing at 5”2’, Jack was something of a Casanova. While he never married, he was rumoured to have seven girlfriends at any given time. Jack also embarked on his whiskey-making career at the tender age of seven. Other theories include that Jack transported barrels via the No.7 train, that it was on his seventh recipe attempt that Jack perfected the liquor, and that he once lost a barrel of whiskey for seven years. Alternatively, it could have been that seven was simply his lucky number. What is certain is that Jack Daniel’s is not (necessarily) aged for seven years, as many think – each barrel is aged for exactly as long as it needs.

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There have been just seven master distillers in 150 years

At the Jack Daniel’s Distillery, people tend to stick around. Seven is certainly a lucky number for Jeff Arnett (left), who currently holds the all important position of Master Distiller at Jack Daniel’s, the seventh person to do so in 150 years – meaning each distiller’s tenure averages out at just over 21 years. They do say consistency is key. The only Master Distiller to buck the longevity trend was Jess Gamble, the first man outside Jack’s family to take on the mantle, who stayed in the job for just two years. So why did the job not suit? It could have had something to do with the fact that, although well qualified, Gamble was teetotal.

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Jack Daniel died trying to break into his own safe

While Jack Daniel lived a colourful life, his death was also suitably peculiar. Jack died at just 60 years old, his gravestone representing his untimely demise in its half-finished appearance.: One morning Jack came into work early and decided to open up the safe for the day, rather than waiting for his nephew Lem Motlow, bookkeeper and future Master Distiller, to arrive. Legend has it that he became frustrated as he repeatedly got the code wrong, and kicked the safe, breaking his toe. It is said that this injury brought on the blood poisoning that took Jack’s entire leg, and eventually his life. As with all great country music songs, there’s both a story and a moral: the moral of Jack’s death? Never go into work early.

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Jack Daniel’s makes all its own barrels

Anyone who knows anything about making whiskey knows that you live and die by your barrel. Jack Daniel’s are one of the very few whiskey producers in the world to make every one of the barrels they use. Each is built individually, by hand, by skilled craftsmen – it may sound extravagant but it’s pretty darn hard to make a barrel. The barrels are made without nails or glue – this means they require incredible precision, with 33 individually shaped American Oak staves hammered perfectly into place until the barrel is watertight (or whiskeytight). The barrels are then never used again by Jack Daniel’s, but sold around the world to wine producers, other whiskey distillers and even Tabasco, the hot sauce makers.

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Jack Daniel’s isn’t bourbon, and it’s proud of that

When you hear the term “bourbon” you think of premium American whiskey. Jack Daniel’s isn’t a bourbon – but that’s exactly how they like it. While Jack Daniel’s Old No.7 can technically be termed as a bourbon, (it contains 80 per cent corn, and is made in the United States), it is more precisely a Tennessee Whiskey, a title earned from the charcoal mellowing it undergoes. The “Lincoln County Process”, or “The Extra Blessing” as it is known more majestically, is the process of dripping the raw whiskey through a ten foot canister filled with charcoal, specially made on the distillery premises from hard sugar maple, which is burnt with unaged whiskey to encourage a distinct aroma. The charcoal gives Jack Daniel’s its characteristic smoothness, setting it apart in flavour from your average bourbon.

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Jack Daniel was a great music lover

Musicians have always loved Jack Daniel’s, so they’ll be pleased to hear that Jack loved them too. Frank Sinatra’s famed love for the liquor is well documented, a bond so strong it forged Sinatra’s very own eponymous brand of Jack. With Lynchburg just 75 miles down the road from Nashville, music has run in the whiskey’s waters since Jack Daniel’s day. A passionate supporter of musicians, who also recognised the crucial partnership liquor and lyrics had in having a good time, Jack bought a band’s worth of instruments. He couldn’t play, but formed the Jack Daniel’s Silver Cornet Band to attract people into Jack’s two Lynchburg saloons, the White Rabbit and Red Dog. The musical ties endure to this day with support dedicated to young artists, promoting Nashville band The Wild Feathers and Missouri born act Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats at their 150th Birthday Party, and even collaborating this year with British grime artist Wretch 32. How very rock-n-roll.